We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. This privacy policy (the "Policy") describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide ("Personal Information") on the bostonind.com website (the "Website") and in connection with our sales, service, and related business activities (collectively, the "Services"), and our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that Personal Information. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your Personal Information and how you can access and update it.
This Policy is a notice of our practices. It does not apply to the practices of companies that we do not own or control, or to individuals that we do not employ or manage. Our customers are primarily businesses, universities, and other institutions, and most of the Personal Information we handle is business contact information provided in the ordinary course of commercial transactions.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Website, our servers and service providers automatically record information that your browser sends. This data may include your device's IP address, browser type and version, operating system, language preferences, the webpage you were visiting before you came to the Website, the pages you visit and time spent on them, information you search for on the Website, and access times and dates. This information is used to operate and secure the Website, to remember your cart and preferences, to identify potential cases of abuse, and to compile statistical information about usage of the Website, as further described in the Cookies and Analytics sections below.
Information You Provide
You can browse the Website without revealing information that identifies you as a specific individual. If you wish to use certain features, for example, to request a quotation, place an order, create an account, sell equipment to us, or contact us, we receive and store the information you knowingly provide, which may include:
- Contact information (such as your name, title, organization, work email address, and phone number);
- Billing and shipping addresses and order and transaction details;
- Payment information (handled by our third-party payment processors as described below); and
- Any other materials you willingly submit to us (such as inquiries, images, or feedback).
You can choose not to provide us with Personal Information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of some features of the Website or Services. If you are uncertain about what information is needed, you are welcome to contact us.
Children
We do not knowingly collect any Personal Information from children under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, please do not submit any Personal Information through the Website or Services. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided Personal Information to us, please contact us to request that we delete it. We encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their children's Internet usage and to instruct their children never to provide Personal Information online without their permission.
Our Role
We determine the purposes and means of the processing of the Personal Information described in this Policy and act as the controller of that information.
How We Use Information; Legal Bases
We use the information we collect to:
- provide quotations, fulfill and manage orders, and deliver products and services;
- arrange shipping and delivery and provide warranty and support services;
- maintain our business records, process invoices and payments, and manage customer and vendor relationships;
- respond to inquiries and offer support, and request feedback;
- send marketing and promotional communications, which you may opt out of at any time as described below;
- improve our products, services, and user experience, and run and operate the Website and Services; and
- comply with applicable law and protect our legal rights.
Where the laws of your jurisdiction so require, we process Personal Information on the following legal bases: performance of a contract with you or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract (for example, quotations, orders, shipping, and support); our legitimate interests in operating, promoting, and protecting our business, including direct marketing to business contacts; compliance with our legal obligations; and consent, where required (for example, for non-essential cookies), which you may withdraw at any time. If you do not provide information that we request, we may not be able to provide the requested products or services. We do not engage in automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
Payment Processing
Card payments are processed by third-party payment processors ("Payment Processors") that adhere to the security standards managed by the PCI Security Standards Council. Payment information you provide is transmitted over SSL-secured communication channels. We do not store full payment card numbers on our systems, and we share payment data with the Payment Processors only to the extent necessary to process payments and refunds and to handle related complaints and queries. The Payment Processors' use of your Personal Information is governed by their respective privacy policies, which we suggest you review.
How We Share Information
Depending on the requested Services or as necessary to complete a transaction, we share information with:
- Service providers that perform services on our behalf, including email marketing, accounting, workflow and project management, website hosting, analytics, shipping carriers, and Payment Processors. Service providers are given the information they need to perform their designated functions, and are not authorized to use or disclose your information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf, in accordance with their applicable terms, or to comply with legal requirements.
- Marketplaces and platforms through which we list or transact (such as third-party equipment marketplaces), to the extent you transact with us through them.
- Professional advisors, such as accountants, auditors, insurers, and legal counsel.
- Government authorities or other parties if required or permitted by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process, or when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.
- A purchaser or successor in the event we go through a business transition, such as a merger, acquisition by another company, financing, reorganization, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, in which case your Personal Information may be among the assets transferred.
We do not sell Personal Information for monetary consideration.
Data Retention
We retain Personal Information for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to maintain business and transaction records, comply with our legal, tax, and accounting obligations, enforce our agreements, and resolve disputes. We may use aggregated data derived from Personal Information in a manner that does not identify you.
International Transfers
We are located in, and process information in, the United States. If you access the Website or transact with us from outside the United States, including from the European Union or the United Kingdom, your Personal Information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those of your jurisdiction. Such transfers are made as necessary for the performance of our contracts with you or with your organization, at your request in connection with quotations and orders, or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. You may contact us for more information about our handling of transferred information.
Your Rights (EEA and United Kingdom)
If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you may have the following rights under applicable data protection law, in certain circumstances and subject to applicable exceptions: (i) to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing; (ii) to learn whether your Personal Information is being processed and to obtain access to it; (iii) to have inaccurate Personal Information corrected or completed; (iv) to object to processing carried out on legal bases other than consent, including the right to object at any time, without justification, to processing for direct marketing purposes; (v) to restrict processing in certain circumstances; (vi) to obtain erasure of your Personal Information in certain circumstances; (vii) to receive Personal Information you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to have it transmitted to another controller where technically feasible; and (viii) to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, including your local data protection authority in the EEA or the UK Information Commissioner's Office.
U.S. State Privacy Rights
Depending on your state of residence, you may have rights under applicable state privacy laws with respect to your Personal Information, which may include the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of Personal Information, and the right to opt out of certain disclosures. We will honor verified requests to the extent required by applicable law, and we will not discriminate against you for exercising any right available to you.
Exercising Your Rights
Requests to exercise your rights may be directed to us using the contact details below. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding, and your request must provide sufficient information to allow us to verify that you are the person to whom the request relates or that person's authorized representative. We will respond within the timescales provided by applicable law, and we may retain information as required for business, legal, tax, or accounting purposes.
Cookies
The Website uses cookies and similar technologies. A cookie is a small text file placed on your device by a web server; cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses. Strictly required cookies are necessary for the Website to function (for example, cart, login session, language, currency, and privacy-preference cookies) and cannot be switched off through our cookie banner. Other cookies, including preference and analytics cookies, are used only as described in, and subject to the choices you make through, the cookie banner presented on the Website. You can also modify your browser settings to decline cookies, although some features of the Website may not function properly if you do.
Analytics
We use third-party analytics tools that use cookies and similar technologies to collect standard internet activity and usage information, which may include IP address and device identifiers. We use this information to compile statistical reports on usage of the Website, such as how often users visit, what pages they visit, and for how long, and to monitor and improve the performance of the Website. We do not use these reports to identify individual users.
Do Not Track
Some browsers incorporate a Do Not Track feature. Because there is not yet a uniform standard for interpreting these signals, the Website is not currently set up to respond to Do Not Track signals.
Email Marketing
We offer marketing emails and newsletters to which you may subscribe. In compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, all emails sent from us will clearly state who the email is from and provide clear information on how to contact the sender. You may stop receiving our marketing emails at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions included in these emails or by contacting us, and we honor opt-out requests through our email marketing platform. You will continue to receive essential transactional emails, such as order confirmations, shipping notices, and support correspondence.
Links to Other Resources
The Website contains links to other resources that we do not own or control. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those resources, and we encourage you to read the privacy statement of each resource you visit that may collect Personal Information.
Security
We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification, and disclosure of Personal Information in our control and custody, including SSL encryption for data transmitted through the Website. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. The security of your information also depends in part on the security of the device and credentials you use, and we ask that you take appropriate measures to protect them.
Data Breaches
If we become aware that the security of the Website has been compromised or that Personal Information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including security attacks or fraud, we will take reasonably appropriate measures, including investigation, reporting, and notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities where appropriate. If a data breach occurs, we will notify affected individuals and applicable authorities where we believe there is a reasonable risk of harm or where notice is required by applicable law, by posting a notice on the Website, by email, or by other means permitted by law.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time at our discretion. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this Policy, and we may provide additional notice at our discretion, such as through the contact information you have provided. We will not, without an appropriate legal basis, use your Personal Information in a manner materially different from what was stated at the time it was collected.
You acknowledge that you have read this Policy and agree to all its terms and conditions. By accessing and using the Website and Services and submitting your information you agree to be bound by this Policy. If you do not agree to abide by the terms of this Policy, you are not authorized to access or use the Website and Services.
Contact Us
An updated version of this Policy will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Policy unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Website and Services after the effective date of the revised Policy (or such other act specified at that time) will constitute your consent to those changes. However, we will not, without your consent, use your Personal Information in a manner materially different than what was stated at the time your Personal Information was collected.
If you have any other questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this Policy, we encourage you to contact us using the details below:
https://www.bostonind.com/contact-us
We will attempt to resolve complaints and disputes and make every reasonable effort to honor your wish to exercise your rights as quickly as possible and in any event, within the timescales provided by applicable data protection laws.